1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a crimp connector comprising a plurality of crimp terminals and a housing for containing the crimp terminals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, various types of crimp connectors for crimping and connecting covered wires have been known.
In FIG. 7, a conventional crimp connector 1 consists of a housing 3 in which a plurality of terminal receiving chambers 2 are arranged in parallel, and a plurality of crimp terminals 4 are respectively contained in the terminal receiving chambers 2.
The terminal receiving chamber 2 is defined by a pair of partition walls 6, 6 which are uprightly provided on a base plate 5. A distance between the partition walls 6, 6 is so designed as to be almost equal to a width of the crimp terminal 4. A height of the partition wall 6 is so designed as to be lower than a height of the crimp terminal 4.
The crimp terminal 4 is contained in the terminal receiving chamber 2 with its electric wire guide-out end 8 positioned a slightly inside of a back end 7 of the housing 3. Moreover, the crimp terminal 4 includes a box-like electrical contact portion provided at a forward end part of the housing 3. In the rear of the electrical contact portion, is continuously provided a wire crimping portion 10 for crimping a covered electric wire 9.
The wire crimping portion 10 is provided with a pair of crimping pieces 11, 11 respectively having crimping slits for crimping the covered electric wire 9. In an area between the wire crimping portion 10 and the electric wire guide-out end 8, are formed a pair of electric wire fixing pieces 12, 12 which project in a tongue-like shape. By caulking the wire fixing pieces 12, 12 with a caulking punch 13 (see FIG. 8), the covered electric wire 9 is fixed.
In FIG. 8, the caulking punch 13 is provided at its lower end with a concave caulking portion 14 having a curved face so that a pair of the wire fixing portions 12, 12 are caulked inwardly along the curved face. The caulking portion 14 is formed wider than the crimp terminal 4. A depth d of the caulking portion 14 is formed relatively small, because the lower end of the caulking punch 13 is brought near upper end faces 15, 15 of the partition walls 6, 6 when the caulking punch 13 is moved in a direction of an arrow R to caulk the wire fixing portions 12, 12.
However, the above described prior art has had a problem that the wire fixing portions 12, 12 cannot be sufficiently caulked due to the shallow depth d of the caulking portion 14 of the caulking punch 13. For this reason, caulking condition of the wire fixing portions 12, 12 is not stabilized and there occur variations in their holding forces with respect to the covered wire 9.
Further, the wire fixing portions 12, 12 which have been caulked with the caulking punch 13 protrude upward above the upper end faces 15, 15 of the partition walls 6, 6 due to a shape of the caulking portion 14, and accordingly, a between-terminal leak is likely to occur between the wire fixing portions 12, 12 of the adjacent crimp terminals 4 interposing the partition wall 6.
The present invention has been made in view of the above described circumstances, and it is an object of the invention to provide a crimp connector in which the between-terminal leak can be prevented and the holding force for the covered wire will be stabilized.
A crimp connector according to the present invention comprises a plurality of crimp terminals, and a housing for containing the crimp terminals, each of the crimp terminals including an electric wire crimping portion adapted to crimp a covered electric wire, and electric wire fixing portions positioned closer to an electric wire guide-out end than the electric wire crimping portion and adapted to caulk the covered electric wire, the housing including partition walls uprightly provided on a base plate to define groove-shaped terminal receiving chambers for receiving the crimp terminals, the terminal receiving chambers being arranged in parallel in a row in a number at least equal to the number of the crimp terminals, wherein the partition walls are provided with concave cut-out or recessed spaces for receiving a caulking punch at positions facing with outer faces of the electric wire fixing portions.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the electric wire fixing portion is provided at only one side of the crimp terminal.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the recessed spaces are provided on respective intermediate portions of the partition walls in a longitudinal direction.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the recessed spaces have end surfaces of the partition walls which extend from the base plate to the upper end face.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, a height of the partition walls is at least higher than a height of the crimp terminals in a state after the electric wire fixing portions have been caulked.
According to the feature of the present invention, there is provided the crimp connector wherein the partition walls is provided the crimp connector wherein the partition walls defining the terminal receiving chambers in the housing are formed with the concave or recess cut-out spaces. Because the concave cut-out spaces are formed at the positions facing with the outer faces of the electric wire fixing portions, the caulking punch can be inserted deep below the upper end faces of the partition walls when the electric wire fixing portions are caulked. By thus inserting the caulking punch deep through the cut-out spaces, the electric wire fixing portions can be fully caulked. The holding force with respect to the covered electric wire will be stabilized and enhanced.
Since the cut-out spaces are concave with respect to the partition wall, the cut-out spaces of the adjacent terminal receiving chambers are not communicated with each other. Therefore, the between-terminal leak will not occur through the cut-out spaces.
According to a second aspect of the invention, one cut-out space is formed in the terminal receiving chamber. Accordingly, a thickness of the partition wall can be smaller than in the connector provided with a pair of the electric wire fixing portions on both sides of the crimp terminal. This enables a pitch of the crimp terminals contained in the terminal receiving chambers to be reduced.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the cut-out spaces are never formed in continuity with ends of the housing. Therefore, strength of the partition walls at the ends of the housing can be maintained.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the distal end of the caulking punch can be inserted deeply until it is brought near the base plate.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, since the partition walls are higher than in the prior art, the between-terminal leak between the crimp terminals in the adjacent terminal receiving chambers can be reliably prevented.